A new take on an old classic

We’ve got a few recipes almost ready to post, and today we are bringing you another delectable delight from our fave foodie – Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It’s his take on Mushroom Risotto and its really very good!

Mushroom risoniotto

So called because Hugh substitutes Arborio rice with Risoni pasta (which looks an awful lot like rice, but is faster to cook and better to freeze)…

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• a knob of butter
• 500g mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 150g risoni
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 75ml dry white wine
• 50ml double cream or creme fraiche
• Sea salt & cracked black pepper
• A handful or more of flat leaf parsley (or curley if that’s all you can get), chopped

Cooking Instructions

Get some salted water on the boil for your pasta. Then heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and half your knob of butter in a large frying pan. Add half the mushrooms and cook over a medium heat stirring often. You want the juices out of the mushrooms almost evaporated and your mushies should be starting to caramelise. Transfer to a bowl or dish, then repeat this process with the rest of the mushies (this ensures mushies are properly cooked and doesn’t take much longer to do it this way).

perfectly cooked mushies

When you second lot of mushies is nearing completion, throw your pasta into the boiling water. Follow instructions until al dente.

Return your first lot of mushies to the fry pan, add the garlic, thyme and balsamic vinegar and cook for a minute or two, gently stirring. Add the white wine and cook until the liuid has almost fully evaporated. Then add your cream, reducing the heat as you do so, and stirring until it is almost simmering. Take off the heat and season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Drain your pasta, add to the mushroom mixture and heap with parsley (and parmesan if your taste buds want a cheese bite)…

That’s it!! Simple, easy, delicious. Thanks Hugh. We’d like to have shown you the finished dish – but we were too busy devouring it with pleasure!! So here’s a pic of Hugh instead 🙂